Sale of possible 12th Moses Lake elementary site still pending

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake School District officials have started a committee that will conduct a review of all district facilities, including the potential construction of a new elementary school. Funding for the new campus was approved by voters in a 2017 bond election but the pandemic and other factors have delayed its development. 

A design for the new elementary, the district’s 12th, was approved by Moses Lake School Board members in 2023. A piece of property in Mae Valley was identified as a possible site, but the sale of that property is still pending, according to MLSD representatives. 

Ryan Shannon, MLSD communications director, said district officials are still working on buying the property, but it’s a long process. And a long process brings with it changing regulations. 

“I know that we’ve talked with the seller. This is just the process we are going through in regard to what we have to do as far as jumping through the hoops,” Shannon said. “It has not been delayed by anything other than regulations and the hurdles that we have to negotiate.”  

He cited MLSD’s request to hook up to the city of Moses Lake’s water system. Applicants are required to provide an alternative source of water for irrigation. This includes things like playfields and landscaping in the case of the school district. 

“That is an ongoing development with the city and some of the requirements the city is putting on all builders,” Shannon said. 

The district is in the process of acquiring water rights, he said.  

“Doing this obviously requires the purchase of water rights and a transfer process through the Department of Ecology, which is ongoing,” he said. 

A preliminary plat application was approved in 2023. 

“We’re still looking at some other things related to (development), as far as road and utility improvements,” Shannon said. “We’re looking at a little bit of time to move forward with this, but we are moving forward. And we have a very good relationship with the seller.” 

The 12th elementary school is one building – but not the only one – being evaluated by the district’s facilities advisory committee.  

“(The committee) had a meeting on Monday night and had some conversation about a lot of different factors, overall properties. We’re looking at all of our buildings and what the overall needs are in all of our facilities,” Shannon said.  

The committee will be making recommendations on how the district can use its facilities to provide the biggest benefit for its students while mitigating expenses, Shannon said.  

“One thing (district superintendent) Carol Lewis has said, every decision we make as a s district is going to come down to one factor, and that is, what are the needs of our students?” Shannon said. “We have to take a look at what factors go into building a school. What is our student population needing? And what are the boundaries look like that facilitate that? What do we do to better the quality of education we’re providing to our students?” 

Shannon said district officials plan to use the money allocated to the 12th elementary school to build it.  

“There’s no doubt we’re eventually going to build an elementary 12. It’s now taking a look at and listening to what our facility advisory committee comes back to us with, and what is the best process moving forward for elementary 12. It’s going to come down to us taking a look at a lot of different factors, being good stewards of our resources and of the community’s dollar,” he said. 

    Moses Lake School Board members approved a design for a 12th elementary school in 2023, as shown in the above concept art.